Living The Writer's Life: Bob Sands “Momentum is much easier to steer than it is to start.”
That quote from Bob Sands does a fine job summing up his go-after-it attitude. He’s one of those gems of writers whose career is flying forward at warp speed, though he remains cheerfully approachable and down-to-earth. If ever there was a new writer to learn from, he’s the one. Enjoy his story …

No Excuses for SuccessBy Will Newman

Last October I got to meet one of my copywriting heroes.

For me, copywriting heroes are different than heroes from other aspects of my life. Heroes from the rest of my life are people who are models of social conscience or who have accomplished remarkable things in spite of great difficulties.

For copywriting, though, I have one measure for my heroes. They write killer copy.

But the copywriting hero I met turned out to be one of my personal heroes, as well. She exemplifies everything I admire in a successful copywriter … and she has achieved her master’s status in spite of having to overcome difficulties along the way.

That hero (and I know she’d be embarrassed by my calling her this … too bad for her!) is Carline Anglade-Cole.

Getting to what made Carline the dominator!

Carline writes for the alternative-health niche. Well, that’s not entirely true. She dominates that niche with over 75 controls! She writes for True Health, Health Resources, Boardroom, Healthy Directions, and many other high-profile, alternative-health giants.

I’ve admired Carline from afar for years, always amazed at how she could churn out so much top-quality copy month after month. When I heard she’d be presenting at last year’s AWAI FastTrack to Copywriting Success Bootcamp, I knew I had to meet her.

But at the same time, I was reluctant to do so. Sometimes – well, more than sometimes – people we admire from afar turn out to be less than enjoyable in person. So, before introducing myself in person, I attended Carline’s Bootcamp presentation, How to Write Faster Copy … Cut Writing Time in Half and Double Your Income.

The moment Carline stepped to the podium, I knew I was not going to be disappointed in her presentation … or in her personally. Exuberant. Vibrant. Caring. And deeply caring. She was the epitome of poise and copywriting savvy.

All this came across as she spoke.

Far more than to her success and writing killer copy …

Carline’s copywriting knowledge and her eagerness to share her personal secrets for writing faster and more successfully are not what impressed me most about her.

When I spoke with Carline one evening at Bootcamp, I discovered she faced many obstacles along the way … obstacles she could easily have used as excuses for abandoning her quest for success.

For example, Carline immigrated to the U.S. when she was 6. Her mother was a maid, and her stepfather drove a cab. She wasn’t, in her words, “dirt poor – we were just a lower, middle-class family.”

Carline faced challenges growing up. But her mother instilled in her the drive to succeed. Her mother’s mantra was, “We didn’t scrape up our money to get you out of a third-world country for you to waste this opportunity.”

Carline took the message to heart and attended USC and American University … racking up huge student loan debt along the way. After graduation, she was hoping people would “knock at my door offering $100,000-a-year jobs.” Of course, that didn’t happen.

So, money was tight when she married her firefighter husband Mick. But she wanted to spend time with her children as well as support the family, so she got a job at Phillips Publishing in customer service … for $8 an hour.

Carline paid her dues at Phillips. After 6 months she moved to accounting – for a $1-an-hour raise. The accounting gig was no easy job. She had to reconcile the accounts on Friday, staying at work as long as it took for the numbers to balance.

Carline could see the opportunity direct marketing held, so she applied for a marketing assistant position at Phillips. But without any real experience, her resume wasn’t getting noticed. So, rather than being discouraged, she devised a special way to convince the company to give her an interview. (I won’t go into details but it included holding the account reconciliation report “hostage” until the boss hiring agreed to give her an interview.)

Phillips gave her a try at writing copy. And once she started writing, they knew what a gem they had … and she started on her blockbuster career that continues to this day.

The real secret to Carline’s success …

What I’ve written today are some details Carline’s already had published about her life. But in her conversation with me that evening last October, she told me of other challenges, challenges that could have stymied her.

She didn’t let that happen. Carline never made excuses why she couldn’t succeed. She kept moving forward … her eye on the prize.

So that’s why I chose today’s subject line: No excuses for success.

Carline achieved her phenomenal success because she does not make excuses.

No excuses. Success.

I’m looking forward to renewing my friendship with Carline again this coming October 14 – 17 at this year’s FastTrack to Copywriting Success

Bootcamp and Job Fair.

I know she’d love meeting you, as well. And, you can be sure she’ll give another dynamite presentation that’ll let you in on some of her personal secrets for copywriting success.